Knockdown desks, tables and like furniture



Sept. 17, 1968 B. R.OGDEN 3,401,995

KNOCKDOWN DESKS, TABLES AND LIKE FURNITURE Filed June 12, 1967 United States Patent 3,401,995 KNOCKDOWN DESKS, TABLES AND LIKE FURNITURE Bruce Robert Ogden, 127 Mona Vale Road, St. Ives, New South Wales, Australia Filed June 12, 1967, Ser. No. 645,122 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-195) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Prefrabricated desks, tables or like furniture erected by clamping floor engaging supports to a framed top incorporating means to relieve the end joints of the framed top from the direct effect of clamping pressures.

This invention relates to prefabricated desks, tables and like furniture comprising a top to which is clamped floor engaging top supporting members.

It is known to construct a desk or table from prefabricated parts namely a top comprised of a fiat member with a frame fixed to its underface and floor engaging top supports. Each top support can be in the form of a panel or leg or a chest of drawers. The frame is comprised of members arranged to form recesses to accommodate the top supports. Jack screws are provided to clamp the top supports against adjacent frame members. This manner of erection results in pressure being exerted on the joints of the frame members and where undue pressure is used the joints will be subjected to overloading. Overloading is particularly critical at end joints, that is where the frame members at the ends and sides of a rectangular desk top for example, are end jointed together.

This invention has been devised to provide means whereby prefabricated desks can be erected in the above manner without directly applying pressure on the end joints of the frame.

The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from below of a prefabricated desk according to the invention comprising a top and two top supports, one being a chest drawer and the other a panel.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underface of the desk top of FIG. 1 and portion only of one of the top supports, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of one corner of the frame of the top illustrated in FIG. 2.

As illustrated the desk comprises a rectangular top 1 made from a sheet of suitable material, for example particle board, to the underface of which is affixed a frame having two side members 2 and two end members 3 all made of wood, the sides and ends are end jointed at 90 to form a rectangular frame. Between the frame side members 2 are two transverse brace members 4 fixed by their ends to provide solid abutments to withstand reaction pressure to be exerted thereagainst. The spacing between the braces 4 and the frame ends 3 is determined by the thickness of the top supports to fit therebetween. There is a pair of holes 5 through each brace member 4 and a nut 6 is fixed in each hole 5. A jack screw 7 is mounted in each nut 6 with a spiked swivel foot 8 at one end and a slotted head 9 at the other end.

3,401,995 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 ice At each corner of the frame between the members 2 and 3 there is an angle bracket 10 thel included angle between the limbs 11 and 12 of each bracket is approximately to In each limb of each bracket there are holes and the brackets 10 are fixed by nails 13 and 13a which pass through the holes therein and are driven into the frame members 2 and 3 respectively. The limbs 12 of the brackets 10 are arranged opposite the braces 4 and have projections 14 pressed out therefrom. As shown in FIG. 3 the limb 11 is in face to face relationship with the frame side 3 and the corner of the bracket 10 is spaced from the corner between the frame sides 2 and 3 owing to the angularity of the bracket.

An end panel 15 is clamped between one end member 3 and a brace member 4 by the jack screws 7, (FIG. 2). The width of the end 15 is such that it sits between the legs 11 of two opposite brackets 10 and recesses 16 are provided in the end 15 to receive the aligning projections 14. The engagement of the projections 14 in the recesses 16 aligns and provides an interlock between the end 15 and the top. A chest of drawers 17 is clamped in similar manner between the other brace 4 and the adjacent end 3. Clamping pressure exerted by the jack screws 7 which would normally tend to break the corner joints between the frame members 2 and 3 is transferred through the legs 11 of the brackets 10 to the nails 13. No direct pressure is therefore exerted on the frame end joints. It will be understood that individual legs may be substituted for the panel 15 and/or for the chest of drawers 17.

What I claim is:

1. A desk, table or like piece of furniture comprising a top, a frame comprising two sides and two ends fixed to the underface of the top, jack screw carriers fixed to and between said frame sides, jack screws mounted in said jack screw carriers, a top support positioned between each frame end and a jack screw carrier held in position by said jack screws, characterised by angle corner brackets each with two limbs, each bracket being located between a frame side and a frame end, the included angle between the bracket limbs of each bracket being greater than the included angles between the respective frame sides and frame ends, one limb of each bracket being in face to face relationship with the respective side of said frame and fixed thereto.

2. A piece of furniture as claimed in claim 1 further characterised by a projection on the bracket limb of each angle bracket opposite the jack screw carrier and recesses on each top support for engagement with the projections on its associated brackets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,257,758 6/1966 Johnson 49463 3,346,311 10/1967 Bears 312- FOREIGN PATENTS 238,975 6/ 1962 Australia. 510,509 10/1930 Germany.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner. 

